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For backpackers Salento is one of those almost unknown small holiday resorts in Colombia. Midweeks the small village is deserted of tourists but during the weekend a flood of young Colombian arrives for a Friday and Saturday evening party. It’s surprising that most backpackers miss this little gem on their way between Medellin and Cali. One is wondering why there are so few backpackers in Salento?

Don Diego Velázques de Cuellar founded seven villages Baracoa, Bayamao, Sancti Spiritu, Trinidad, Pourto Principe, La Habana, Santiago de Cuba and the town Remedious. Trinidad was founded as number four 1514. This is the oldest and best maintained colonial city of Cuba. The historical core with the cobbled streets running from Plaza Mayor is an architectural feast for the eyes. The buildings in Trinidad aren’t the only well maintained things. The old classic American vintage cars seem to be in amazing shape here no other part of Cuba can compete. On the cobbled street these cars meets great competition form horses, donkeys and carts. The life on the streets is following the old traditions from vanishing times.

My flight from Vienna in Austria arrived at 01:35 in the middle of the night at Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan. My choice for the night was Mariam hotel in Madaba. Madaba is only 18 km from the airport and located south west of Amman. This is a centrally located base for travelling around Jordan and even for a visit to Jerusalem. Read more

I tried to book a hotel room for the night in Umm Qais, in the far north of Jordan. Not possible, said Charl al-Twai manger of Miriam hotel in Madaba. They say Umm Qais hotel is closed, but do stay overnight in Irbid instead. I was not interested in staying in Irbid since the Rough Guide said “If time is short, give it a miss”. I strolled away to an internet café and search for hotel rooms in Umm Qais. On a hotel booking site I found Umm Qais hotel. The hotel had nice reviews and it was very cheap only 15 JD for a room. The message was book now only two rooms left.

The wilderness peninsula of Hornstrandir was my next goal after Látraberg. This is a real wilderness area only open in the summer months. If you really would like to fight with the elements go early in the season when it´s rains a lot. In the end of the season in the middle of August it can be sunny and nice weather if you are lucky. One more bonus going late in the season is all the blueberries one can eat everywhere on the green hills.

One of best places on earth for Puffin photography is Látraberg on the west coats of Iceland and Europe’s most western point. It´s possible to reach Látraberg with a two days bus ride from Reykjavík. If you arrive in the morning with a flight at Keflavik airport you can reach Stykkishólmur in western Iceland in the evening, continue next morning with ferry to Brjánslaekur there a bus picks you for a two hours drive to Látraberg. I don´t recommend such a high-speed to Látraberg, there are many more nice places to see on the way.

The hyena man feeds a hyena with meat from camel outside the city walls of Harar in Ethiopia. This tradition started about 1950s some says it even goes back to the great famine during the 1890s. The famine force the hyenas around Harar to attack livestock and people. The people started to feed the hyenas with porridge to avoid the attacks. Later one started to predict the year a head if the hyena ate half of the porridge it would be a good year, if the hyena refuses to eat famine would struck.

For several years I have used Hilleberg Namattj 2 during my travelling in Europe, Africa and South America. The main reason for choosing the tent was the low weight only 2.4 kg / 5 lbs 3 oz, I usually have problems with too much luggage weight when flying to other continents! The keron 1800 outer fabric is extremely strong an withstand very strong winds in high exposed areas. I have used it at high altitude at 5000 m in South America, in the jungle of Amazonas, in Kalahari in South Africa. It has been used in very cold weather -20 degree Celsius and very warm weather as well 38 degree Celsius without any problem.

I visited Burma / Myanmar during the monsoon season 2007, started travelling in Yangon the capital of Burma, flew to the northwest coast to Sittwe. Continued by boat in heavy monsoon rain on the river of Kanadan upriver into the Chin state to Mrauk U. I looped back to Yangon again for a flight up to Heho in the Shan state there a taxi waited for a drive to Inle lake.

Pictures and post about birds. This picture is taken at Awassa lake in Ethiopia. I stayed at Wabe Shabelle hotel #2 an early morning walk down to the lake shore gave a lot of opportunities for bird photography.